Impact of adjuvant therapy toxicity on quality of life and emotional symptoms in patients with colon cancer: a latent class analysis

To identify distinct trajectories of toxicity in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients after adjuvant chemotherapy and its impact on quality of life (QoL) and psychological symptoms. A prospective, multicenter study was conducted in 157 patients. A latent class analysis defined the unobserved latent constructs that can be predicted as symptom clusters, considering the intensity of four types of adverse events (AEs). Patients completed EORTC-QLQ-C30, BSI-18, PDRQ-9, and DRS scales. Ninety-six percent had some degree of toxicity, with grades 3–4 being the most common: neurotoxicity (7.2%), hematological (13.1%), digestive (5.2%), and skin toxicity (1.4%). Three distinct latent classes were identified (high [72.5%], mild [16.9%], and low [10.6%] toxicity). Patients with high toxicity had the worst QoL scores and moderately high somatization and psychological distress scores. Adjuvant chemotherapy for CRC was associated with frequent toxicity that negatively impacted QoL and psychological wellbeing.